Pixar vows to make more films with ethnic minority characters
John Lasseter says that having more diverse protagonists is 'very important' for Disney-Pixar
Disney Pixar has promised there will be more ethnic minority characters in future films produced by the studio.
John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar, which has made some of the most popular animated children's films of recent decades, has pledged that films released by the company will "really pay attention" to black and minority ethnic characters.
Speaking at the press conference for Inside Out, the new Pixar film which has its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Lasseter added that it was important for main characters to represent ethnic minority experiences
"It's very important for us to have, both at Pixar and at Disney, female, ethnic characters," he said. "And it's grown in importance over time.
"Animation when we got started was mostly guys, but we have been seeing more and more women and more and more people from all over the world starting to work with it.
"It's very exciting to see that come up. And I think it will get reflected in the characters."
He added: "We do have a new movie coming from Disney called Moana which is inspired by the legends and myths of Polynesia and Oceana.
"Most people think fairy tales by and large are European, so we're trying to reach out to find the origins of legends from all over the world."
His words will be welcomed by those who have accused Disney - and especially Disney princesses - of being too white.
Inside Out, which received a five star review from the Telegraph, is the story of an 11-year-old girl called Riley, whose mind is controlled by five emotions who exist in another world contained in her head.
American comic actors Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Phyllis Smith play some of Riley's emotions.
Disney Pixar's previous films include Toy Story, Brave, Cars, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and Up, which starred a young boy called Russell who many fans speculated was of Korean origin.
